We’ve been so busy hauling in vegetables from the garden and preserving them lately that there’s really no time for anything else. Grocery shopping included.
I did make two purchases last week though, one at a local farmstand for a few ears of corn and another at a bake shop for some bread.
We planted a bunch of corn in both the lasagna garden and the religious family garden but the corn in the religious family garden only grew about 4ft tall {we’ll amend the soil this fall for a better crop next year} and the corn in the lasagna garden while nice and tall and good looking, has been a favorite snacking spot for the local deer.
I’m hopeful next year with better soil and a solid fence in place though, we’ll be able to grow enough corn to can and freeze for all our needs.
Growing your own food {and saving money on groceries in the long run} can be a bit of a process, but we’re getting there. One season at a time.
Farmstand $1.50
Fifty cents an ear for local fresh off the farm corn. I thought that was a decent price {how much is it going for in YOUR neck of the woods this year?}.
Bakery $5.00 for a single baguette. Crazy.
Holy smokes! I can’t wait to be able to bake my own bread again!!!
A little produce box I brought over to our neighbors who were feeling under the weather. I can’t believe how fast the beets came up this time around.
Has anyone frozen beets before? I just planted another round of beets and while the next batch won’t be ready to harvest until the end of September/Early October, I was wondering if I could roast the ones that need to come out of the ground now and pop them in the freezer to enjoy later this winter.
Have you tried this before? I think I might give it a whirl.
I’ve also been busy prepping/soaking/cooking/packing quart sized bags of dried beans {we’re all out of canned} and putting those in the freezer for last minute addition to meals.
But for the most part this past week we ate a lot of leftover pulled pork and tomatoes. 🙂
I think the bowls of tomatoes, mozzarella and onions were my favorite.
Salsa with beans and rice.
Tomatoes with beans, rice, a fried egg and vegetables.
Vegetables with sausage.
Vegetables. We’re swimming in them right now… and eating as many as we can. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love the month of August around here… not so much for the high temps and humidity, but for all the colorful goodness we get to pluck from the garden every day.
Life is good!
How about YOU? What are you eating these days? Are you tired of real tomatoes yet? {I’m not!}.
Have a great monday everyone,
~Mavis
Total Spent This Past Week on Groceries $6.50
- Total Spent in August of Groceries $21.40
- Total Spent in July on Groceries $335.47
Total Spent in June for Groceries $124.45 - Total Spent in May for Groceries $172.47 {$47 of it was spent at Farmers Markets}
- Total Spent in April on Groceries $94.48
- Total Spent in March on Groceries $114.12
- Total Spent in February on Groceries $94.64
- Total Spent in January on Groceries $96.58
- Total Spent on Groceries in 2022 $1053.61
Kathy says
I freeze beets all the time. My yield is not big enough to drag all the canning supplies out! I cook them on the stove, slice them or cut them in pieces and freeze in containers. I usually reheat them with a little butter for a side dish.
Linda says
I’ve never frozen beets but have stored them, the same as I do carrots. We layer them (not together) in damp sawdust and store for the winter. We hang our potatoes and onions in saved citrus bags that friends give us. Cabbages are wrapped in newspaper.
Jamie says
Corn is $7/ a baker’s dozen in the Midwest.
Kath says
I cook my beets whole in my instant pot, in batches. When cool, I pull off the skins and cut them to bite size then freeze them on a cookie sheet. When frozen I transfer them to gallon freezer bags. They are a delicious treat in winter!
Shirley says
Personally I find frozen beets a bit rubbery (maybe I am not doing something right) but I just make up some sauce and make Harvard Beets. Easy peasy!
Rosemary Calhoun says
Corn was 50 cents at Walmart last week. I did not have any luck with my garden this year. I tried to grow tomatoes, banana peppers and cucumbers in the greenhouse but it just got too hot (even with the doors and skylight open). Then the bugs came and devoured them. I will try again this winter to see if I have any better luck. My hubby doesn’t want a garden outside in the ground as we would need to put a fence around it – just too many critters go thru our yard – and he just doesn’t have the energy to keep up with it. At our age, we have to make choices on where we will spend our energy. 🙂
Cheryl says
I beat all of you. I live in Western PA 40 miles north of Pittsburgh and I paid a dollar a ear of corn yesterday. Usually I get 5 ears in my CSA but I wanted a couple for dinner last. Last nights was the best corn and the price is high due to the drought I was told.
Coleen says
Hi Mavis! An ear of farm fresh corn, around here, is .95 each.
Dianne says
$.75 for an ear (peaches and cream) of corn outside Columbus, Oh, fresh from farm.
Anne Wiebe says
Just checked – HEB has fresh corn on the cob for $.29/ear.
I love HEB! It’s only in Texas but it is the best!
Kippy says
I quartered some smallish beets, roasted them with olive oil and seasonings. Put into Ziploc bagsafter they cooled and then to freezer.Will do this again. I don’t have that many beet plants to make canning worthwhile. The above method will work as the beets get a bit bigger.
Wendy M says
I slice raw beets and freeze them and then oven roast them. Corn is ridiculously expensive here in Indiana this year. A “good” price is 50 cents but I’ve seen it going for a dollar an ear.
Judy says
Hi Mavis. I have been freezing beets for years, just roast them first then put into medium size freezer bags which is perfect for us. Freeze the beet tops as well, so good. I also make batches of Harvard beets and freeze them too. As good as the red ones are, have you thought to grow the orange ones? They are our favorite. Also, I make huge batches of creamed corn. Just such a happy reminder of summer during the freezing days of winter. So delicious, we could probably eat it every day.
Judy says
Forget one more thing. All the corn cobs and husks get thrown into kitchen catcher size garbage bags and into our big “animal freezer”. Which we don’t even have to plug in for months as it gets so cold here. A tasty and welcome treat for our horses, goats and chickens. Windfall apples get the same treatment as well.
Lori King says
I love pickled beets! Haven’t tried freezing them.
Vicki in Birmingham says
I didn’t see any comments on it, but I was told recently that beet greens are delicious. I haven’t grown beets and the greens are hard to find at the market…people tend to cut them off of the beets. But just in case you want to give it a try.
At Fresh Market, a grocery store here, corn was 4 ears for $5+ dollars. Because I thought that was ridiculous, I didn’t pay too much attention to the actual price.
Brianna says
Yes, beet greens remind me of a cross of Swiss chard, arugula, and mustard greens. They aren’t for everyone and can be tough and bitter if not prepared correctly. I have oven roasted and peeled and frozen beets and they are good. I use them for natural dye for red velvet cakes, in smoothies for fun color, or to make borscht or mashed potatoes in the winter. I’ve never had a problem with them being funky.
Barbie says
I roasted my beets, skinned them and vacuum sealed them last year. It was so much easier than canning. When ready to eat, I just warm them and add a bit of butter, salt and pepper.
Christy says
Corn from a farm is s.e. Pennsylvania is $7/dozen. At times have gotten cheaper at grocery store but the farm corn is always so good!
I can my beets. Might think about freezing after reading the commen5s.
Terry M. says
Hi Mavis! I am so glad I came across your site! I could not believe how much food was being wasted, and watching all that money go down the drain was very disheartening. My brother (a disabled vet) lives with me, and when he says he will eat something, I am finding most of the time he doesn’t, so it goes to waste. Since finding your site last week, I have spent $63 on 6 lbs of ground beef, 2 lbs of bacon, apples, oranges, almonds, 2 bricks of cheddar cheese, sour cream, and cream of chicken soup. Out of this, and what I already had in my pantry, I have cobbled together 3 spaghetti casseroles, 2 bacon wrapped meatloaves, 2 tamale pies, 2 tater tot casseroles, 2 shepherds pies, and 6 seasoned burger patties. I am anticipating a cold and miserable winter, so this is all just to stock my freezers. I have these wonderful pyrex storage/baking dishes with silicone lids that can go from freezer to oven, each one making enough for 4 servings instead of making a big 9×13 pan.
Thank you again for what you do, I have learned a lot and look forward to saving money! By the way, I love your pickety bits, I am using that on days I don’t want to cook!
Rebekah says
Ms. Butterfield,
I just found onehundreddollarsamonth.com today when searching for ‘what to do with a lot of raspberries’? Found your fresh raspberry pie recipe and this website – I’ve been reading all afternoon and subscribed. Love it!
One question…$100/month to feed how many adults/children?